On Mar 4, 2013, at 11:49 AM, Alicia Gibb <pip at nycresistor.com> wrote:
> From the OSHWA side of things, what we can do right now and what we have resources for is very limited. Since we have no paid staff and are working as volunteers (hoping to change that with more funding), I think a certification or specific OSHWA mark separate from the current oshw logo is a couple years out. About a year ago, stakeholders for OSHWA chose to first set up a 501(c)3 for charitable education purposes. This means we cannot do anything that promotes for-profit business in open source hardware. There is another organization that I think will only be a matter of time, especially given this discussion called a 501(c)6, a business league. Business leagues are mainly how standards organizations are set up.
Adding to what Alicia has said, while OSHWA cannot directly promote for-profit business, it does aim to promote OSHW (in general) in the following ways (taken from the OSHWA FAQ page: http://www.oshwa.org/about/ ):
(1) Educate individuals and the general public about Open Source Hardware.
(2) Organize the Open Source Hardware movement around shared values and principles.
(3) Provide information and advice on best practices and standards for Open Source
Hardware.
(4) Encourage collaborative learning, knowledge exchange, and social cohesion through
conferences and other events focused on Open Source Hardware.
(5) Promote the use and development of Open Source Hardware, including to encourage
educational and economic development.
(6) Collect, compile and publish data on the Open Source Hardware movement.
Windell H. Oskay, Ph.D.
Co-Founder and Chief Scientist
Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories
175 San Lazaro Ave, STE 150
Sunnyvale CA 94086
http://www.evilmadscientist.com/